Drain strainer and over-flow pipe



Jan. 29, 1963 E. STAFFORD 3,075,203

DRAIN STRAINER AND OVER-FLOW PIPE Filed June 1, 1961 INVENTOR' EARL STAFFORD BV-MJ W A T TORNEV United States PatentO 3,075,203 DRAIN STRAINER AND OVER-FLOW PIPE Earl Stafford, Box 85, 'Ihvin Lakes, Wis. Filed June 1, 1961, Ser. No. 114,187 2 Claims. (Cl. 4-206) This invention relates to a strainer for lavatory drains or the like; more particularly it relates to a drain and strainer which is adjustable in its size for fitting various size drains.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a drain strainer which is adjustable in size, but which can be inexpensively manufactured and yet be completely reliable and efiicient in its function of straining the liquids, such as water being drained from a lavatory or sink.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a drain strainer which can be securely placed in the drain and which will not therefore be inadvertently removed from the drain, but will remain in position until intentionally removed and it will then carry the debris along with it and out of the drain pipe.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a drain strainer which also permits the use of an over-flow pipe such as is necessary and desired in restaurants and bars and like business establishments.

A further object of this invention is to provide a drain strainer which while fitting firmly and snugly into the drain pipe, it also extends above the drain pipe and has drain openings thereabove so that debris which settles out at the top of the drain pipe will not clog the drain holes in the upper end of the strainer and therefore the drainage can still continue while the debris is settling and collected at the top of the drain which is of course the base of the lavatory.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following disclosure in light of the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a preferred embodiment of this invention and showing the lavatory, basin and drain pipe in dotted lines.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 shows a drain pipe in dotted lines and the top of the drain 11 is also the base of the lavatory or sink through which the drain pipe 10 is of course connected. Also, a usual cross bar or piece 12 is disposed within the drain pipe 10 in the usual and well-known manner so that large objects cannot fall through the drain pipe 10. The embodiment of this invention is shown mounted in the drain pipe 10 and it consists of a strainer member 13 and an over-flow pipe 14 telescopically disposed over the strainer 13 and extending thereabove as shown in FIG. 1.

The over-flow pipe 14 is of course of a hollow, cylindrical or tubular construction and an open upper end 16 and of course an open lower end 17 so that the liquid can flow entirely through the over-flow pipe 14. It is of course also of an internal diameter and slightly larger than the external diameter of the strainer 13 as shown and therefore the liquid can pass into the open end 16 and through the over-flow pipe 14 and down to the drain 10.

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It will of course be further understood that the over-flow pipe 14 and the strainer 13 are separable pieces as shown and FIG. 3 shows the strainer 13 alone.

The strainer 13 has a plug 18 which is at the upper end 19 of the strainer body portion indicated 21, and the plug 18 constitutes a closed top so that liquid cannot enter through the end of the hollow, tubular body portion 21 of the strainer 13. Also, the body portion 21 has a plurality of strainer openings 22 spaced therearound and it will of course be understood that the liquid can pass through the opening 22 while the debris of a size larger than the openings 22 cannot pass therethrough and is thus strained from the water or the like being evacuated from the lavatory and down the drain pipe 10.

The important feature of the construction is the provision of the curls or prongs 23 which are shown at the lower end 24 of the body portion 21. Here it will be noted that slots 26 are formed in the body portion lower end 24 and the remaining intervening sections of the body portion are disposed in radially extending curls or prongs 23 so that they are of course spaced apart and the free ends 27 of the prongs 23 are spaced from the body portion 21 as shown. It will be further understood that the prongs 23 are sufiiciently flexible that they can be bent into varying degrees of lateral or radial extent so that the diametrical span of the prongs 23 can be varied for adjustment of different diameters of drain pipes 10 and thus the strainer 13 will always snugly fit into the drain pipes 10 within of course certain limitations of diameter of pipes 10, but the strainer 13 will not therefore be inadvertently displaced Or upset in the drain pipe 10 since they are snug therein as described. The prongs 23 are bent or curved upwardly so that they catch all of the debris which is passing into the drain pipe 10 and upon withdrawing the strainer 13 from the drain pipe 10, the prongs 23 carry the debris with them in the manner of grasping fingers and the debris can therefore be removed from the drain pipe 10 as desired. Also, the prongs 23 provide a support for the lower edge 28 of the over-flow pipe 14 and thus the combination of the strainer 13 and the pipe 14 can be conveniently used in installations where the over-flow pipe 14 is desired, and in fact even required in sanitary codes, such as bars and restaurants.

While a specific embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that certain changes could be made therein and the invention therefore should be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A drain pipe strainer and over-flow pipe combination comprising a hollow tubular strainer body including a top at one end and having strainer openings on said strainer body for the fiow of liquid therethrough, the other end of said strainer body including prongs extending radially beyond said strainer body and terminating in free ends disposed radially inwardly with respect to the remainder of said prongs and the latter being flexible for bending into positions to fit into said drain pipe, and a hollow tubular over-flow pipe disposed over said strainer body and being of a diameter equal to the extent of said prongs for abutting same and being of a length greater than said strainer body for extending thereabove.

2. A drain pipe strainer and over-flow pipe combination comprising a strainer of a hollow tubular body including a top and having strainer openings on said body for the References Cited in the file of this patent 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS Butler Aug. 3, 1886 Dillon Apr. 2, 1935 Simcich Mar. 23, 1948 

1. A DRAIN PIPE STRAINER AND OVER-FLOW PIPE COMBINATION COMPRISING A HOLLOW TUBULAR STRAINER BODY INCLUDING A TOP AT ONE END AND HAVING STRAINER OPENINGS ON SAID STRAINER BODY FOR THE FLOW OF LIQUID THERETHROUGH, THE OTHER END OF SAID STRAINER BODY INCLUDING PRONGS EXTENDING RADIALLY BEYOND SAID STRAINER BODY AND TERMINATING IN FREE ENDS DISPOSED RADIALLY INWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE REMAINDER OF SAID PRONGS AND THE LATTER BEING FLEXIBLE FOR BENDING INTO POSITIONS TO FIT INTO SAID DRAIN PIPE, AND A HOLLOW TUBULAR OVER-FLOW PIPE DISPOSED OVER SAID STRAINER BODY AND BEING OF A DIAMETER EQUAL TO THE EXTENT OF SAID PRONGS FOR ABUTTING SAME AND BEING OF A LENGTH GREATER THAN SAID STRAINER BODY FOR EXTENDING THEREABOVE. 